Pop star discovered tragically dead at 33 in the wake of scandal
South Korean pop star Choi Sung-bong, who was caught running a notorious cancer scam has passed away at age 33.
The Korean Times reported that Choi was found by police at his Seoul home on the morning of June 20. He was pronounced dead soon after.
Authorities have reportedly ruled the singer’s cause of death as a suicide.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, after years of online fame stemming from a 2011 performance on Korea’s Got Talent, Choi confessed he had tricked his fans into donating money to him after claiming he needed funds for cancer treatment.
Choi had claimed he had been battling multiple forms of cancer to obtain the donations, however, his claims were later exposed as a hoax.
He also claimed he had returned all donated funds from a false fundraiser.
Choi later issued a grovelling apology and vowed to return all of the donations sent by his fans.
One day before his alleged suicide, Choi posted a note on his YouTube channel apologising for “foolish mistakes” in the past, according to The Mirror.
The chilling letter said he needed to "repay for his sins with his life” and showed the address of where his body would be after taking his life.
“My body can be found at [his home location]. I don’t know how to write a final message, so I will just write it in my own style. Even though my breath may have stopped now, I have no regrets about the brilliant journey of my life. I have lived my life to the fullest and made efforts to find happiness every day. Age thirty-four," (as per Korean age system), he said.
Choi was best known for competing in Korea’s Got Talent in 2011, coming in at second place.
A clip of him singing a cover of Nella Fantasia by Ennio Morricone quickly went viral online, thrusting him into the spotlight – with singing sensation Justin Bieber even acknowledging his talent.
Image credit: YouTube